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MEP questions Garda role in Carlow shooter case
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Ireland South MEP Michael McNamara has asked whether the court was misled in the case of the Carlow shooting, calling the claims around a Garda sting operation “worrying”.
In an interview with Gript this morning, the Independent MEP said it was important to establish the extent of Garda oversight in the events leading up to the incident, in which Evan Fitzgerald fired a shotgun at the Fairgreen Shopping Centre before fatally shooting himself.
“What we need to know is what degree of Garda oversight there was in this regard – what degree of oversight there is generally in such sting operations.” McNamara said.
He raised concerns about reporting from the time of Fitzgerald’s original bail hearing.
“It does appear from media, contemporaneous media reporting…that the judge asked, well, who was he buying the weapons from?” he continued.
“The reported answer in the media would seem to suggest that the judge might have been misled in that regard.”
He said this was a matter that required closer scrutiny.
“I know the ICCL has called for an examination of what oversight is in place of such sting operations,” McNamara said.
“I think that’s very important. And in particular, it’s very important to determine whether or not the court was misled.”
He emphasised the need for courts to be able to trust Gardaí.
“Courts very much rely on Gardaí to tell them the truth,” he said.
“They rely on the word of Gardaí as being the truth. And it would be very important to ensure that that remains the case and that Gardaí didn’t inadvertently or otherwise mislead a court in this regard.”
In a post on social media platform X yesterday, McNamara also referenced a question about Garda conduct in the case.
“Did Gardaí attempt to blame a judge for the fact that he was on bail when it was subsequently clarified it wasn’t opposed?” he wrote.
“Something is rotten in the state…”
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